A LONG stretch of road near Ballarat has been voted the worst in the state on a website aimed at fixing up dodgy roads.
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Ballarat-Colac Road in Enfield is at the top of the list on the Fix Our Roads website, an initiative of the state opposition to report roads that have fallen into disrepair.
The road, which stretches nearly 100 kilometres from the Midland Highway to Colac, has become notorious among locals for its potholes and rough surface signs.
Last year, a logging truck rolled on a particularly nasty bend of the road at Enfield.
Residents have said there have been multiple crashes on the road over the years.
Colleen Rowlands lives on Ballarat-Colac Road and said there had been very little action in bringing the road back up to scratch.
“It’s just a very rough road. All we’ve seen are signs going up to say ‘rough surface’. Potholes can be there for weeks until they’re filled in,” she said.
Ms Rowlands said many people who did not know about the road’s poor condition drove on or over the speed limit, which in many parts is 100 km/h.
“The bend we live on there have been three truck rollovers in about six years plus a few serious accidents and that’s just our section,” she said.
“It’s also a very narrow road and a very busy road. A lot of large trucks use the road back and forth to Colac.”
Ballarat East MP Geoff Howard said at least 60 kilometres of road has fallen into bad repair and was not being addressed by the state government.
“Rather than actually addressing the maintenance issues there has been more and more signage going up advising drivers of rough edges and reducing the speed limit,” he said.
“I’ve raised it with our side of politics so that it can be returned to a road that is safe to travel.”
State government spokesperson Larissa Garvin said more than $3 million had been allocated for five kilometres of road repairs on Colac-Ballarat Road around Cressy and Beeac.
She said the works were expected to be completed in April.
“The state budget allocated an extra $170 million over three years for road repairs and rehabilitation,” she said.
tom.cowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au